CONSERVATION -- Rance Block of Liberty Lake was honored today for decades of work to protect wildlife habitat and sportsmen's access to the outdoors across the West, especially in Eastern Washington. Block was presented the Joan Thomas Award at the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition's…
FISHING -- Some anglers are catching 10 chinook salmon a day in the Lewiston area this week in the best chinook salmon fishing season fish managers can remember. Steelheading for keepers is so-so. The chinook salmon returns to the Snake River this fall are huge,…
PUBLIC LANDS -- Saturday is a big day of freebies and stewardship on public lands throughout the region. It's National Public Lands Day as well as National Hunting and Fishing Day. Here are some opportunities to consider: Washington State Parks are offering free vehicle access…
Groups petition USFWS to protect fishers in Montana, Idaho Six environmental groups have petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect fishers, weasel-like predators found in old-growth forests in Idaho and Montana, as a threatened or endangered species. A similar petition filed in 2009…
HUNTING -- The Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge in North Idaho and the Willapa Refuge in Western Washington are among 20 federal refuges that could see hunting opportunities expanded under a proposal released today by Interior Sally Jewell. In addition, six refuges in four states would…
HUNTING -- Get the skinny on hunting prospects for deer and elk as well as upland birds and other species in the 2013 hunting forecasts posted by The Washington Fish and Wildlife Department. Area wildlife biologists have posted notes on their observatins of eveything from…
WINTER SPORTS -- Work is progressing on a hut to serve as a Smith Gap warming shelter for snowshoers and backcountry skiers at Mount Spokane State Park. Park staff constructed most of the foundation. A contractor is coming in to build the enclosure, hopefully before…
FISHING -- As reported earlier, the Snake River boat ramp at Heller Bar upstream from Asotin is being repaired this week, just as the chinook salmon and steelhead runs are spiking over Lower Granite Dam. While restricted access is being allowed most of the week,…
PUBLIC LANDS -- My last family outing to a national forest was not this expensive... USFS tab for Rainbow Family gathering in Montana was $575,000 The U.S. Forest Service spent approximately $400,000 providing law enforcement at the Rainbow Family gathering in July in Montana, and…
BACKPACKING -- My blog posts subsided to a trickle last week while I was saying goodby to summer by exploring the mountains, lakes, wildlife and fly-fishing opportunities in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness of Montana. It was a trip of extremes, from the weather to the lung-searing…
USFWS releases new plan for NW dams to save salmon The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service is again opposing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's plan to increase releases of water from eight dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers to help salmon…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- I've heard stories about bowhunters who've been having many close, exciting encounters with bull elk during their September season that coincides with the rut. Just in case the brush was too thick to get a clear shot at what might have been…
FISHING -- Oh, what a difference a little rain and cooler water temperatures have made to erase the thermal barrier that had been keeping steelhead and chinook salmon from progressing up the Snake River. Graphs show the surge of each species booming up over Lower…
TRAILS -- Repairs to the asphalt will require the Spokane River Centennial Trail to be closed on Wednesday and Thursday (Sept. 25-26) from Miles 26.5 to Mile 28 from the south side T.J. Meenach Bridge to the Equestrian Area in Riverside State Park, says Loreen…
Summer Adventures package: Climbing in Italy's Dolomites Pioneering BC's Skeena River rapids by jet boat Climbing three Cascades volcanoes in three days Field Reports: Newcomers can get insight on hunting-fishing on Sept. 28... Heller Bar ramp construction starts... Idah may reward hunter loyalty Weekly Hunting-Fishing…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Like little jewels in the sky, hummingbirds capture everyone's attention when they "hum" by. But only recently have scientists been able to study them closely enough to understand how their tongues function while feeding on flower nectar. This video presents a fascinating…
HUNTING -- Hunting, fishing and where to go to participate in these outdoor activies will be the focus of a free "fair" of information and activities presented by sportmen's groups and state fish and wildlife staffers Saturday, Sept. 28, in Spokane Valley. The fair will…
CLIMBING – Spokane is one of the first stops for the 2013 Reel Rock 8 Film Tour, a gripping collection of climbing films that will show Friday (Sept. 27) starting at 7 p.m. at Mountain Gear’s retail store, 2002 N. Division St. The films, which…
Parks Canada pitches plan to return bison back to Banff On Monday, Parks Canada released its 5-year plan to return 50 bison to the backcountry of Banff National Park, and expand the herd to more visible areas of the Alberta park after that time period.…
HIKING – Reed “Sunshine” Gjonnes, 13, hiking with her father, Eric “Balls” Gjonnes, has become the youngest person to complete the triple crown of long-distance hiking. The pair from Salem, Ore., through-hiked the 2,652 mile Pacific Crest Trail in 2011, the 2,181 mile Appalachian Trail…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Enjoy an intimate family moment with grizzly bears attracted to a scratching pole by some sort of powerful lure, a bruin's equivalent of ecstasy. The video starts slow and builds to a frenzy of rubbing. Fun. According to PetaPixel.com, the trail cam…
PADDLING -- Sea kayak outfitters are leading paddlers out of the San Juan Islands as well as Bellingham Bay on night-time excursions to see one of the bright little wonders of the sea. When conditions are right, the stroke of a paddle paints a swath…
BOATING -- Proposed changes at the Kettle Falls and Fort Spokane boat launches are detailed in the 2013 Boat Launch Development Concept Plan released for public by the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. The plan evaluates the effects of expanding and reconfiguring the two existing…
WILDLIFE -- River rafters, hikers and hunters are keenly aware that rattlesnakes are common on portions of the Selway River. But why are there virtually now rattlesnakes on the Lochsa River, which joins the Lochsa near Lowell, Idaho, to form the Middle Fork Clearwater River?…
BICYCLING -- Already the only state in the nation with a Scenic Bikeways program, Oregon continues to prove why it’s a top cycling destination with new developments that make it easier to explore the state on two wheels. Whether it’s car-free biking around the deepest…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
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